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Gen. Sidney Kirkman; Key Montgomery Aide

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November 7, 1982, Page 001044 The New York Times Archives

Gen. Sir Sidney Kirkman, described by his World War II commander, Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery, as ''the best artilleryman in the British Army,'' died Friday at the age of 87, his family reported.

General Kirkman was Field Marshal Montgomery's chief gunnery officer in the crucial battle for Alamein in Egypt and was responsible for the blistering British barrage there that preceded it.

The 1942 victory by Field Marshal Montgomery's Eighth Army at Alamein was a turning point in the war, marking the beginning of the rout of the Nazis in Africa and subsequently in Western Europe.

Field Marshal Montgomery, who died in 1976 at the age of 88, paid tribute to General Kirkman in his memoirs. General Kirkman was commissioned an officer in the Royal Artillery in 1915. In World War I he fought on the Western Front and won the Military Cross for bravery.

He married in 1923 and had two sons.

A version of this obituary appears in print on November 7, 1982, on Page 1001044 of the National edition with the headline: Gen. Sidney Kirkman; Key Montgomery Aide. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe